Shelving structure



Jul 14, 1931.

E. MICALLY SHELVING STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 19, 1939 INVENTOR EMANUEL MICALLY ATTORN EYS Patented July 14, 1931 .UNITED} STATES SHELVING STRUCTURE An important object of the present invention is to provide improved means for mounting partitions in a shelving structure.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken on the line 11 of Fig. 2; j

Fig. 2 a front View of a shelving structure embodying my invention;

Fig. 3 a horizontal section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 a detail section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 a perspective view of one of the partitions;

Fig. 6 a detail section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 a detail section taken on the line 77 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 8 a perspective view of a spring fastening element for holding the partitions in lace.

The drawings show my invention embodied in a metal shelving structure including four corner uprights 1 and a plurality of shelves 2, 3, 4 and 5 bolted to the uprights as at 6, or secured in any suitable manner to support them in equally spaced superposed relation. Each shelf is formed of a substan- Y tially rectangular blank of sheet metal folded along its front and rear edges to form integral stiffening beams 7 and folded along its end edges to form stiffening flanges t5. Adjacent its front and rear edges each shelf is formed with two parallel longitudinal rows of spaced apertures 9. These apertures are small and are elongated fore and aft of the shelf. They are suitably spaced to give a desired adjustment range to partitioning means between the shelves.

' A number of upright partition panels or bin dividers 10 are provided to divide the spaces or-bins between the shelves. Each partition is formed of a substantially rectangular sheet metal blank curled along its front and rear edges toform finishing and stiffening beads 11. The upper edge of the blank is folded at a right angle to the body of the blank to form a flange 12, and the lower edge of the blank is similarly folded in the same direction to forma flange 13. Each partition is proportioned to extend substantially the full height and depth of the shelf space and is notched at its upper corners as at 1 1 to provide clearance: for the edge beams 7 of the shelf immediately above. it. The flange 12 extends between said notches and is formed with two apertures 15 similar to the apertures 9 and spaced along the flange a distance corresponding to that! between the rows of the latter apertures. At its lower edge :the partition is integrally.

formed with two small retaining tongues 16 extending straight downwardan-d rounded.

at their lower ends. The tongues are'spaced simllarly to the apertures 15, and the-flange 13 terminates at points spaced inwardly-from the tongues.

, Assuming that the three superposed shelf spaces or bins of the shelving structure shown are to be similarly divided, the partitions 10 are mounted as follows: A partition is first inserted. into the lowermost space-to be--divided, and its tongues 16 are inserted through a pair of the apertures 9 in the lower shelf. To facilitate this the partition-istilted side- Wise. .Afterthe insertion of the tongues the partition is swung to an upright position to bring'its aperture 15'into register with two of the apertures 9 in the shelf above. "A par:

tion is next inserted in the next shelf; space above and its tongues 16 are inserted in asimilar manner through said registering shelf and partition apertures 9 and 15 respectively.

The lower partition is thereby held upright.

In a similiarjmanner a third partition may be mounted in place in the topmost-shelf space with its tongues 16 holding the upper end of the partition beneath it in place. When the;

third partition is disposed upright its apex.- tures 15 register with certain of the apertures 9 of the topmost shelf 2. For holding said partition upright I employ two snap fastening elements 17. Each element is formed of a metal strip bent to form a head 18; a compressible, springy, wedge-shaped shank 19 and a reduced portion or neck 20 joining said shank and head. The shanks of the elements are forced entirely through the registering apertures!) and 15, whereupon PATENT oFFIcE EMANUEL MICALLY, or JACKSON HEIGHTS, (NEW YORK, AssIGNon 'IO Unrvnaszin of FIXTURE CORPORATION, on NEW YORK, Y., A CORPORATION or NEW Yonthey expand and are yieldably held in place. When it is required to free the partitions for removal or for readjustment along the shelves the fastening elements are forcibly extracted. This frees the uppermost partition and enables the remaining ones to be successively freed by disengagement of the tongues 16 thereof from the apertures 9 and 15. The partitions may then be removed or may be mounted in other positions along the rows of shelf apertures 9.

While I have shown and described a satisfactory form of my invention I do not wish to be limited strictly to this disclosure but reserve the right to make such changes as will lie within the scope of the claims.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In a shelving structure, a pluralityof shelves supported in superposed, spaced relation and each having apertures spaced foreand-aft; and a plurality of upright, fore-andaft shelf space partitions for upper and lower shelf spaces, each partition comprising a metal sheet bent along its upper edge to form a flange having apertures spaced and registering with apertures of the shelf immediately above, and downwardly projecting tongues at its lower edge spaced therealong and inserted through apertures of a shelf immediately below and through registering flange apertures of a similar partition in a shelf space below, for mutually and removably supporting said partitions in position.

'2. In a shelving structure, a plurality of shelves supported in superposed, spaced relation and each having apertures spaced fore-and-aft; a plurality of upright, foreand-aft shelf space partitions for upper andlower shelf spaces, each partition having apertures spaced along its upper edge and registering with apertures of the shelf imme diately above, and downwardly projecting tongues at its lower edge spaced the'realong and inserted through apertures of a shelf immediately below and through registering apertures of a similar partition in a shelf space below, for mutually and reinovably supporting said partitions in position; and resilient wedge-like fastening elements inserted through registering apertures in the uppermost shelf and in the partition'immediately below it.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

EMANUEL MIOALLY. 

